The Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT) team has been quiet as they wait for various approvals before communicating news of their design and schedule.

From all the early reports, we have cause to celebrate: not only did the ORBT team have the foresight to secure a federal grant, they also dealt with complex issues to deliver a significant improvement to Omaha’s transit network.

It Wasn’t Raining When Noah Built the Ark

Omaha is fortunate to have a Metro Transit team with the foresight to plan ahead. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) implementations can fall into two broad categories:

Rather than wait until Omaha’s congestion floods the streets as in other major cities, the team secured in January 2015 a $15 million federal grant to implement Omaha’s BRT – which is now known as the ORBT.Continue reading →

We haven’t talked much about the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as of late, so we thought it might be time for a quick update. We’re still heavily involved in the BRT Stakeholder Committee with two members from Mode Shift serving on the committee (including the chair of the committee), which gives us an opportunity to stay abreast of the project’s status.

Metro held two open houses nearly a year ago (June 2016) during which attendees were able to ask questions, offer input, and tour a 60’ articulated bus (the type Metro will use for the BRT). Attendance was great, excitement was high, and Metro received some great feedback. If you missed the meeting, here arethe materials that were presented.

One of the great outcomes of that process was the establishment of the values of the BRT system. They are:

The mode share findings below highlight the need to move quickly with BRT, continue other Metro bus system improvements, and create more inviting walking and biking infrastructure, along with doing more to promote these non-single occupancy vehicle (SOV) modes to move people. Omaha’s increasing SOV trend is not sustainable monetarily, environmentally, and will negatively impact our quality of life with increased traffic and air pollution.

The American Community Survey* is an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. While a recent Citylab article focused on age groups and car usage across the U.S. for one year, here we highlight the trends of five modes of commuting to work in the Omaha area. Please note the boundaries and restrictions of the data include: 1) Data is from commuting to work only. Thus trips to retail, recreation, etc., are not measured in these numbers. 2) The survey only allows a person to specify one mode of commuting. Thus those who use multiple modes, and the share of each mode used, are not delineated. Continue reading →

Our Mission

Mode Shift Omaha advocates for transportation options that enhance quality of life and opportunities for everyone to live, work, and play.

Upcoming Events

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Public MeetingMarch 26, 2019 at 6:00 pm – 8:00 pmFred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, 505 S 45th St, Omaha, NE 68106, USAThe Planning Department, on behalf of the City of Omaha, is excited to invite you to the next series of Transit Oriented Development public meetings. The meetings will focus on areas within one half mile of ORBT (Omaha Rapid Bus Transit) station locations: 49th Street & 42nd Street Station Locations: March 26, 2019: 6-8PM Buffet…